End Mass Criminalization of Black and Brown Youth (89)

Phillip Agnew isn’t trying to make history; he’s just heeding its call. As the head of the Florida-based Dream Defenders, Agnew is one of many young civil rights leaders drawing from the rich legacy of black freedom struggles while moving into the 21st century with a deft use of social media and sometimes-scathing irony.

Supporters for marijuana legalization say that the city of Hamilton’s proposal to ban medical marijuana sales throughout its limits ahead of any potential statewide vote is premature, and city residents began to voice their dissent against the change in zoning ordinances late last week.

On May 16, 2010, a Detroit SWAT team raided the home of 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones. As officers entered the home, Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley's gun went off, killing Aiyana, who was asleep on the couch with her grandmother.

Roughly 20 to 30 protesters staged a “die in” in the Longworth House Office Building cafeteria Wednesday afternoon to bring attention to police militarization and racial profiling.

The protest, first reported by The Washington Post, began at approximately 12:30 p.m. According to a cafeteria worker present for the demonstration, the protesters laid down on the ground between the cash registers and tables for about five minutes.

The recent killing of two New York City police officers can’t be allowed to silence the movement against police brutality. In just about every vibrant progressive social movement, there comes a moment when a psychologically or emotionally disturbed person, an agent provocateur, or a political extremist commits an atrocious act that is seized upon by the state and/or the Right to try to discredit or outright repress the movement.

Prisons employ and exploit the ideal worker. Prisoners do not receive benefits or pensions. They are not paid overtime. They are forbidden to organize and strike. They must show up on time. They are not paid for sick days or granted vacations.

Minnesotans protesting police violence and institutional racism could face "staggering" fees and criminal charges for a protest at Mall of America, with the City of Bloomington announcing plans to force organizers to pay for the mall's lost revenue during the exercise of their free speech rights, highlighting important questions about free speech in an era of privatized public spaces.

The movement challenging the criminal justice system's treatment of black people continues to build this week. On Monday morning, Bay Area organizers blockaded entrances to Oakland Police Department headquarters and brought traffic to a standstill on nearby Interstate 880.

Some of you may remember the Kerner Commission, but many younger members of our audience probably will not. The Kerner Report should be required reading for policymakers and anyone trying to understand how we got to where we are now in terms of the black experience in America, the history of the ghetto and government’s responsibility to its citizens.

On the morning of Aug. 29, the body of Lennon Lacy was found hanging from a noose fastened to a swing set at a trailer park in the small eastern North Carolina town of Bladenboro, about a half-mile from his family's home.

Wednesday night, a grand jury in New York City refused to indict police officers in the killing of Eric Garner, a man who died after officers used a prohibited choke hold on him. The decision set off protests across the country.